Champ and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen were swamped at the kickoff of the Books From Birth of Middle Tennessee event.
photo by Dana Johnson
VCH takes on lead role in Books From Birth program
Country music legend Dolly Parton, founder of the Books From Birth program, was on hand for last week's event.
photo by Dana Johnson
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell and Vanderbilt Children's Hospital CEO Jim Shmerling hosted a public kickoff for the Books From Birth program of Middle Tennessee on Tuesday that included the registration of the first children to take part in the program.
The goal of Bredesen's Books From Birth Program is to see that all children are given the opportunity to develop a love of books. Now, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt will do the work of ensuring that every baby born in Davidson County and every child under age 5 is registered to receive free books.
Books From Birth of Middle Tennessee is made possible by the collaborative contributions of Jo's Reach Out and Read, Nashville Public Library, Nashville READ, the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation, NewsChannel 5 and various community partners. Partly because the hospital will be absorbing administrative and staff costs, the total cost of the program will be only $27 per child, per year. That includes 12 books, postage, shipping and handling, to Davidson County's 37,813 children under age 5.
Mary Kate Mouser, children's health improvement and prevention director at Children's Hospital, will oversee operations of the program.
“We are excited about getting this program started,” Mouser said. “We know that literacy experiences at home support child development. It's an honor for us at Vanderbilt Children's to be a part of helping children get books into their homes.”
“Reading to children is one of the most effective developmental tools for literacy available to us,” said Shmerling. “We have first-hand experience in literacy programs like this with Jo's Reach Out and Read — created in memory of Drs. Mike and Rebecca Swan's daughter, Johanna — and we know how successful these programs can be. Administering Books From Birth gives us the ability to work to ensure every child develops a love of reading.”
The program was inspired by country music legend Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, created in 1996 to provide a new, age-appropriate, hardcover book each month to children from birth to age 5, regardless of income, at no cost to the family.
The program has been adopted in over 385 communities in 39 states. Davidson County's program will be the 46th in Tennessee.
“Dolly's program fits hand-in-hand with our desire to see Tennessee communities become actively engaged in offering our youngest citizens a strong educational foundation in the most vital years of development — birth to age 5.” Bredesen said.
To register for Books From Birth, or to make a donation, call 936-3554, go to http://www.vanderbiltchildrens.com/booksfrombirth or e-mail read.books@vanderbilt.edu.